Indonesian National Revolution

The Indonesian National Revolution (17 August 1945-27 December 1949) was a revolutionary war fought between Indonesian independence fighters and the Netherlands shortly after the end of World War II. The conflict had its roots in World War II, during which the Imperial Japanese Army occupied the islands from 1942 to 1945 and promised to give the Indonesians greater autonomy than they had seen under Dutch rule. On 17 August 1945, just sixteen days before Japan's surrender, Indonesia proclaimed its independence from the Dutch, taking advantage of their absence to create their own government. The 355,000-strong Indonesian army, plus 3,000 former Japanese troops and 600 British Indian Army deserters, fought against 30,000+ British, Indian, and Australian troops (as well as small contingents of Japanese troops) from 1945 to 1946, when the British withdrew and 180,000 Dutch troops arrived in the East Indies. Stalemate set in as the Dutch took control of the urban areas while the Indonesians took over the countryside, and sporadic fighting occurred. The Indonesians ultimately won the war through the utilization of international pressure, which forced the Netherlands to recognize Indonesian independence in 1949. Anywhere from 45,000 to 100,000 Indonesian soldiers died during the conflict, while 1,200 British and 6,228 Dutch troops died; between 25,000 and 100,000 Indonesian civilians were casualties of the war.